On a recent episode of his podcast “Let’s Go!” Tom Brady put to bed any concerns he might retire early following the Buccaneers’ slow start to the season.
Speaking with reporter Jim Gray, Brady confirmed his commitment to the 3-4 Bucs following their shocking 21-3 loss to the tanking Panthers. The loss to the Panthers comes a week after a loss to the Steelers, including Brady being spotted laying into his offensive line during the game.
Gray asked Brady if he still had love for the game of football “Absolutely,” Brady said. “I was saying to [his trainer Alex Guerrero] this morning, I was doing treatment, man, it’s a hard sport we’ve chosen and it’s tough. It challenges you in every area, physically, mentally and emotionally. And certainly, at this stage we’re in, this is where you’ve got to dig deep and see what you’re all about and see what kind of character you have and see what you believe in and your values as a team. Do you stand up for each other when you face adversity or do you not? That’s what we’re all trying to figure out every time we take the field.”
Even with the slow start, the Bucs are still sitting atop their division, a testament to how bad the NFC South is this year. But Brady didn’t return from a short-lived retirement amidst marital troubles just to win the worst division in football, anything less than a Super Bowl win would be a disappointment for the Bucs this year.
The Bucs have not looked like Super Bowl contenders while losing back-to-back games to sub-.500 opponents, but Brady remains committed to the team. “I said last week that there’s no immediate retirement in my future,” he said.
“There was a retirement in the past, but I moved on from that. But certainly not, you know, I’ve never, you know, I made a commitment to this team and I love this team and I love this organization. I told them in March I was playing and I’ve never quit on anything in my life. And I know a bunch of teammates that we all count on one another to be at our best and to work hard and to put the team first. And that’s what you commit to and that’s what you want your teammates to commit to as well,” he stated.
Losing to bad teams, yelling at his teammates on the sideline, and struggling to stay above .500 is certainly not what Brady envisioned when he came back from retirement. But the 45 year old QB is determined to turn this season around.
“I want to keep fighting as hard as I can and I’m always trying to do better,” Brady said. “I’m always trying to work hard and I’m always trying to commit more to the things that are important to me. And this team is very important to me and I certainly want to be the best I can be for them.”
The Bucs may not have to improve that much to win the NFC South and make the playoffs, but if they want to send Brady off into the sunset with one more Super Bowl win, a serious turnaround is required.
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